Pedestal safety tie means



y 22, 1947- K. F. NYSTROM EIAL ,327

PEDESTAL SAFETY TIE MEANS Filed April 26, 1945 INVENTOR;

Patented July 22, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PEDESTAL SAFETY TIE MEANS Karl F. Nystrom, Nashotah, and Vernon L. Green, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application April 26, 1945, Serial No. 590,488

3 Claims. 1

Our invention relates to means whereby the journal box or bearing housing will be maintained in its proper associated relation with the pedestals of the truck, or more specifically stated with the journal receiving portions of the equalizer member of a railroad car truck especially intended for railroad passenger cars.

The invention has for its object the provision of tie means adapted, in the case of emergency, to prevent dissociation of the journal box or bearing housing and the pedestals of the side frame or equalizer member; the improved tie means being devised to eliminate the use of the usual depending tie strap bolts at the bottom of the pedestal where they are readily sheared off upon derailment of the truck, thereby releasing the tie strap and permitting escape of the bearing from the pedestal. In other words, tie straps of the type mentioned fail toserve the very purpose for which they are intended, namely to retain the box or bearing in the pedestal during an emergency or derailment.

Our improved safety tie means has been devised to overcome the difilculty mentioned and its construction and advantages will be readily comprehended from the detailed description of the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of one end of an equalizer member with a journal bearing and our improved tie means applied.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view of the lower portion of the pedestal portion of the equalizer member and the improved tie means applied with portions of the equalizer member and the tie means shown in section; a portion of the tie means being broken away.

Figure 3 is a plan View of our improved tie means.

Tie straps are employed at the bottoms of the journal box or bearing receiving pedestals,

whether the latter are on the truck side frames or on the equalizers of the truck, for the sole purpose of preventing the journal box or bearing housing dropping out of the pedestal or escaping therefrom during emergency or abnormal conditions, such as derailment of the truck. In railroad trucks as at present employed the tie straps are generally secured to the bottoms of the pedestal by vertically disposed bolts whose threaded, nut-receiving ends extend beneath the normal horizontal plane of the bottom portion of the equalizer and hence constitute the lowest element of the equalizer.

As a result of this condition, the bolts with their strap holding nuts are immediately sheared threaded bolts for holding it in place.

For purposes of exemplification we show our improved tie strap in conjunction with the bearing housing receiving portion or pedestal of a railroad car truck equalizer of which one end is shown at l5 provided with the vertically disposed and laterally spaced pedestal forming members 16, H, for receiving the journal box or bearing housing I8 therebetween; the pedestal being shown provided with stop lugs or plates l9, l9 to prevent improper relative transverse movement between the bearing housing and the equalizer.

The pedestal leg or member l6 of the equalizer, adjacent the bottom and on the side disposed away from the journal bearing, is provided with a vertically disposed rib or flange 20 which terminates at the bottom in a lip 2|, disposed toward the opposite end of the equalizer and spaced from the lower edge of the rib 20 so as to provide an open-sided socket thereabove. As is apparent from the drawing, the lower edge of the flange 20 and the lip 2| are arranged in a horizontal plane above the plane of the intermediate or lowest portion of the equalizer l5.

The opposite pedestal leg or member ll, above the lower or bottom end, and in its vertically disposed portion, is provided with an opening or hole 22, see Figure 2.

Our improved tie means is in the nature of an elongated bar or bolt 23, formed at one end to pass through the opening or hole 22 of the pedestal member I! and threaded to receive a nut 24, of size greater than the hole 22 so as to bear against the vertical face of the pedestal member IT. The opposite end of the bolt 23 preferably is somewhat flattened and spread apart as at 25 to provide the enlarged eye or opening 26, the outer end whereof is of width suflicient to straddle the depending portion of the flange 20 and permit the lip 2| to pass therethrough. After 'the rounded or threaded end of the bolt has been inserted through hole 22 and the eye of the bolt seated in the socket above the lip 2|, the nut 24 is then screwed up tightly on the bolt, thereby firmly holding the bolt in place. As the bottom of the pedestal member I1 is substantially in the plane of the bottom edge of flange 20 the bolt will be disposed at a slight inclination as shown but will be entirely arranged above the horizontal plane of the lowest intermediate portion of the equalizer and hence at a point where it cannot be sheared off during derailment of the truck. As a result of our improved tie means the journal hearings will be held in proper associated relation with the pedestals and the tie strap or means firmly held in position to perform the specific function for which it is intended, as it has no function in the normal operation of the truck.

It will be understood, of course, that the pedestal constructions at opposite ends of the equalizers at both sides of the truck are of similar construction and similar tie means employed;

and while the invention is shown applied to a pedestal type of equalizer it is equally well adapted to pedestals formed on truck side frames and hence we do not wish to be limited to its use on the equalizer members of a railroad car truck.

The exemplification shown and described is believed to be the simplest embodiment of the invention, but structural modifications may be made without, however, departing from the spirit of our invention as defined in the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. The combination of a car truck side frame member having upwardly and downwardly curving portions at the ends formed to provide downwardly disposed journal bearing housing receiving portions-while the main body portion of the frame member extends into a horizontal plane beneath the plane of the lower ends of the bearing housing receiving portions, the inner bearing housing receiving portion at its lower end being formed to provide a laterally disposed lip, while the outer bearing housing receiving portion above its lower end is provided with a recess and an opening through the vertical wall; a tie member spread at oneend and provided with an opening adapted to receive said lip and to straddle-the lower end'of the inner portion while the other endis adapted to pass through said opening and into the recess of said outer bearing housing receiving portion; and means cooperating with said last mentioned end and seatable in said recess for holding the tie member against longitudinal movement.

2. In combination with a car truck equalizer member whose ends curve upwardly and downwardly to rovide journal bearing housing receiving jaws terminating above the horizontal plane of the intermediate portion of the equalizer, one of said jaws at its lower end being connected with the intermediate portion of the equalizer by a vertical rib provided at its bottom with a substantially horizontally disposed lip while the other jaw above its lower end is provided with a lateral opening; a tie bar enlarged transversely at one end and apertured to provide a straight sided eye adapted to receive said lip while the other end of the bar is of circular cross section to pass through said lateral opening in the last mentioned jaw and threaded to receive a nut whereby the tie bar is held against movement.

3. In combination with a car truck equalizer having upwardly and downwardly curved ends to provide journal bearing housing receiving jaws terminating above the horizontal plane of the intermediate body portion, the inner housing receiving jaw being connected with said intermediate portion by a vertical rib provided with a substantially horizontal socket while the other jaw is provided with a transversely disposed opening; a tie bar of circular cross section and threaded at one end to pass through said opening and laterally spread toward the other end and having an opening to provide an enlarged eye with straight end and side walls adapted to straddle the inner jaw and said vertical rib and to seat in said socket; and means threaded on the threaded end of the tie-bar whereby the eye-end of the bar is drawn into said socket and the tie bar held against movement.

KARL F. NYSTROM. VERNON L. GREEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,741,538 Richards Dec. 31, 1929 1,130,730 Hewitt Mar. 9, 1915 1,404,886 Nystrom Jan. 31, 1922 

